- Lee Yong-woo, governor of Buyeo County -
Do you reckon the Project brought the effect of lowering water level?
Since Buyeo is located in the downstream area, it is relatively free from inundation damage to some extent. However, we had 488mm of heavy rains for 7 days this summer. Moreover, due to much more precipitation in the upper region including Daejeon, level of the Geum highly arose for a while. But, finally river’s water level became stabilized. We cannot help but put these benefits down to the dredge works which made discharge area expanded. Although we had awfully heavy rainfall comparing to usual years, we could be shunned from inundation damages.
Some people raise a question on the effect of dredging and say that there is no difference so far as the inundation is concerned. What is actual opinion of residents in the county?
The denial of the effect of dredging is quite absurd. Without the dredging works, local residents think they might have severe inundation damage from heavy rain. Fortunately, our Buyeo region also had farmland remodeling work (512ha in 11 districts) so that we could prevent from being waterlogged. Farmland utilization rate has been highly boosted. Thanks to the Project, farming condition of the poor surroundings on the lowlands is vastly improved. Farmers in Buyeo County still hope that government would expand the farmland remodeling area (5,050m² in 7 districts).
There were some partially waterlogged spots. Please tell us on that with detail.
Temporarily due to the sudden and unexpected downpour (327mm a day and 60mm per hour), some spots of lowlands near the Geum in Sedo-myeon and Imcheon-myeon had damage. It is estimated that 1,022ha of farmlands were waterlogged, 30ha of swept to loss, and 163ha of damaged green vinyl houses. Problem is the drainage system of the lowland’s farmland. Though there are 62 drainage facilities in our county, however almost of them are decrepit. Additionally, as various garbage and sewage were rolling in, the function of drainage system couldn’t work properly to get rid of the obstacles. As you can see the neighboring Nonsan County’s case, crops of green house can be severely damaged unless drainage system could properly work. Supplementation and replacement of time-worn drainage facilities are urgently needed. Of course we asked to the central government to enlarge the treatment capacity of existing drainage system.
Can it be interpreted that the Project has limited control against those damages?
Buyeo County is located in the downstream area of the Geum River and has plenty of lowland plains so that we are running drainage station in 62 spots. The fact of retaining many drainage facilities means that this region is not free from flood. However, because we mounded and raised embankments with dredged soils around the lowland agricultural fields, we could be safe from record-breaking downpours and typhoons this summer, I think.
What kind of opinion do you have on the utilization of esplanades of the Geum and management of waterfront area?
We have master plan to create local residents-friendly waterfront area by utilizing the Baekma River’s esplanade so that all the people can truly enjoy the benefit of the Project. In addition, affiliating to the riverside tourism, we will develop it as a representative role model.
What is the future vision of the Buyeo County after the Project?
Owing to the accumulated sediments, the Geum River has hardly retained its own face. The restored Geum River after the Project became the repository of natural gifts and growth engine for the local economy. The Project changed this county with restoration into ecostream, bike trails, reinforcement of embankment, dredge and construction of the Baekje Weir, investing with KRW 885.5 billion into seven wards and 54km of the river. We gladly participated in with a thought that this Project is a golden opportunity as well as a historic project for Buyeo County. We push forward diverse following measures to draw high value-added enterprises by making maximized utilization of the esplanades and waterfront areas. We have confidence on that it will be a watershed for the county’s development.
